Amaterasu
by Windswift
Summary: [Chapter 97 spoiler warning] [AkiGure] When God leaves and Akito is alone, where has Akito been hiding all these years?


Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya

Amaterasu— Shinto sun goddess who went into hiding in a cave. Unable to persuade her to come out, the other gods held a celebration outside the cave until she peeked out of curiosity. They had hung a mirror outside the cave, and her reflection startled her, giving them the chance to pull her out. She then agreed to be the sun once more.

_**Amaterasu**_

When Akito had come running to him, desperately, he had hoped for a moment. He could only blame that small oversight on being still hung-over; as a rule, Shigure did not hope. He plotted.

It was merely that, in that brief second, he had eagerly hoped his plotting finally came to fruition.

It had not. Well, at least he was patient.

For as long as he could remember, he had been waiting.

It began with the Dog, who had been waiting for God since before Shigure was born. And when that spirit had finally been rewarded, in that moment, Shigure had caught a flash of something, like the first glimpse of the sun.

And then it was gone. It had not been snuffed out, but it vanished, leaving only a trace of memory. Leaving anticipation and patience.

Once upon a time, the sun had shone brightly in the sky, and everyone adored her. But something happened, and she ran away. She hid in a cave and refused to come out, until she had gotten so curious as to the goings-on outside the cave. And when she poked her head out, they tore down the wall and pulled the surprised sun out.

Shigure had been trying to lure Akito out for almost twenty years. And every time he thought he had grasped that elusive person in his hand, she fluttered away.

For as long as she had been alive, Akito had been hiding behind God.

She might not have fled to the cave on purpose. It might have been some grand misunderstanding. But whatever the reason, she had not come out again. She had been buried under Akira's doting expectations for God and Ren's emotional abuse.

And subconsciously, she had been grasping at stones to reinforce the walls between herself and the world. After all, no one needed Akito, no one promised to love her without ever leaving. It was God who had his chosen, bound to love him. How much more pleasant to be God than Akito.

Perhaps, if he had tried, Shigure could have broken down those stone walls. But his had never been the direct way. He was not the loyal dog, to go running to her side like a pet. He wanted to be the lone wolf, waiting for Akito to come to him.

Yet his subtle appeals to her curiosity never drew her out.

That misplaced hope still persisted. She had looked like a desperate little girl, crying to him. Protesting that she had not pushed Tohru, surprised that she truly had not meant to, terrified that the accusations would make the deed fact. Dirty bare feet and tear stains on her cheeks—this was not God.

Tohru had been a very fortunate foresight on Shigure's part. She had a way of catching people off guard, zeroing in on their vulnerabilities—and helping them back to their feet. The sun had finally peeked out of the cave and seen the mirror. And when she turned to glance back, the cave had already crumbled.

It had been weakening ever since Kureno had been freed from God's grasp. One by one, they were pulling away, and inevitably God would follow. Akito would be all alone and exposed.

Where does one go when they must find their place in the world? How does one stand on one's own two feet when nothing is certain? What if what one has been looking for turns out to look entirely different from what one thought?

Where would Akito go from here?

Where would _they_ go from here?

Akira had believed that, as God, his special child had been destined to be love. But that was no longer true. Perhaps, if he were still alive, he might have agreed with Ren: "That one woman should be loved by one man, that is enough."

What would he have wanted for his only daughter? What did Akito want for herself?

But Akito was only human, and finding her feet would take time, rebuilding her world would take courage.

He had caught a glimpse of that brilliantly burning sun before. That radiance that settled lightly near his skin before flitting away like a shy butterfly. Shigure would be patient, however long it took.

"Separation. In commemoration, a present. Congratulations. Welcome, the new you."

**…****  
Owari  
…**

_-Windswift_


End file.
